Other lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have also come out against the proposal to hike the gas tax, a difficult proposal to pass in an election year.

But Schwartzkopf says he can see both sides of the argument.

"We have seven million visitors come to just Rehoboth, Dewey, and the Midway areas. The majority of that $50 million raised by the gas tax would come from somebody who doesn't even live in this state," he said.

Work on continuous stretches of sidewalk along Route 1 was supposed to start in March, but with a $40 million hole in the Transportation Trust Fund, that project will be delayed.

"Without any increases in revenue, we don't have the money for a 20 percent match on an 8- percent payout by the federal government. I would spend 20 percent any day of the week to get the other additional 80 percent given to us by the federal government," explains Schwartzkopf.